Selling coffee salons, is this still the "bookstore" in my childhood memory?

Readers choose books in Zhongguancun Bookstore. Photo taken by Shangguan Yun

The 23rd is World Reading Day. How many people still remember what the bookstore looked like in the past? In many memories of the post-80s or even post-90s generation, the bookstore had old-fashioned double doors. On the neat rows of bookshelves, there were various monographs of literature, history and philosophy, which were opened with a faint scent of books, and occasionally there were a few readers and smiling shop assistants, patiently answering customers' questions.

But gradually, in some big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, except for some traditional book buildings that may basically retain the above model, the appearance of many bookstores has quietly changed: the bookshelves "stand against the wall". The vacant area has been opened up into a dining area or "bar area", with the aroma of coffee and simple meals in addition to the aroma of books. Pen containers, handbooks, shopping bags and other fancy creative products are also dazzling in front of readers.

Lectures on all kinds of culture and art are in full swing. Walking in the streets of Beijing, a large number of bookstores have begun to undertake some salon activities. in the old days, people went to bookstores to buy books, but now they gradually become drinking coffee and reading books. While buying books, they may also buy two pleasing cultural derivatives.

The cultural creation products of Hanfen building. Photo taken by Shangguan Yun

This is a move that is in keeping with the times and, to some extent, a change that has to be made. I do not know since when, the news of the closure and relocation of physical bookstores, especially independent bookstores, has been heard one after another, each time causing book lovers to sigh, but such exclamations do not seem to stop the coming winter of the book industry. High rents and rising labor costs have forced back a number of operators and forced those who are still sticking to it to seek a path of survival. The above-mentioned sales of coffee, light meals and creative products, and the holding of salons are what industry insiders call the "compound operation" of bookstores.

Even the Han Fen Building of the Commercial Press has taken a cautious step. Earlier, the code on the second floor of Hanfen Building was filled with art books. In 2014, it opened into an art museum for artists to display works and display derivatives. Recently, the second floor has been roughly divided into two areas-the one upstairs on the left-hand side is temporarily rented by a painter to become a studio; the right-hand side is still mainly used as a display area, and cultural activities are held from time to time.

The cultural creation products of Hanfen building. Photo taken by Shangguan Yun

The sale of cultural derivatives is undoubtedly a profit point for bookstores. For example, a leather bucket bag in the Hanfen building sells for 799 yuan. apart from the discount, there will still be a better profit, and the staff clutched his finger and calculated an account to the reporter: suppose the price of a book is 50 yuan. Excluding labor costs, paper costs, and book editing fees, "generally speaking, you can earn less than ten yuan." How many books do you have to sell to make that profit? "

According to the staff, generally speaking, the discount in Hanfen House is no less than 15% discount, and the lowest discount can be reduced to 25% on World Reading Day, but last year, the discount for books on e-commerce platforms is as low as 60% discount. "they have natural advantages, they don't need door market rent, and they don't need so many staff. Readers always complain that the price is still much higher than that of e-commerce, but we hardly make any money anymore.

"A brick-and-mortar bookstore cannot survive just by selling books." The staff of Hanfen Building sighed helplessly, "now there are still some national support policies to encourage people to enter the bookstore, and the situation has improved somewhat."

Fans of Chang'an lined up to buy books in August. Photo taken by Shangguan Yun

The salon, including the signing of stars and writers, also has an obvious driving effect on the sales of the bookstore. On the afternoon of April 15, best-selling writers with a large number of young fans held a meeting for their new book "the daughter of time" at Beijing Yanguiao Bookstore in August. Enthusiastic fans have been lining up since 11:00

On that day, "daughter of time" sold 674 copies in Yanjiyou (Zhongguancun shop), ranking first, while "Secret Love: tangerine Huainan" sold 174 copies. On the same day, sales of Chang'an works accounted for 88.8% of all-day book sales in Yanguancun (Zhongguancun store) in August. The clerk said that this figure also crushed the sales of all books in the store from Monday to Friday this week, "accounting for 66.7% of the whole week."

In the shop assistant's view, this phenomenon is not uncommon. "We rely on holding activities to promote popularity. Fans of writers and stars will buy a lot of books themselves." In addition, more people come to the store to participate in the salon. A stroll will also drive the sales of other products in the bookstore. Generally speaking, 80% of the activities will stimulate the performance growth of the day.

Fans wait in a long line to buy books. Photo taken by Shangguan Yun

This "other product" includes coffee, light meals, books and creative products. Therefore, for Yan and many bookstores that try to operate a compound business, the income is roughly divided into three parts, namely, products, books and bar areas. The close combination of the three has become an important way for physical bookstores to survive.

The changes in bookstores are very popular with young people. At different times, the reporter visited several characteristic bookstores in Beijing, such as between the lines, words, and one-way space, and found that most of the people who came to visit were young people, sitting in a special bar area, drinking coffee and reading books, and perhaps chatting; and middle-aged people in their forties, if they happen to have cultural activities, they will lean over to listen to a few words.

Liu Zheng, who has worked for two years, said that when he was a child, he often went to Xinhua Bookstore, and his main goal was to teach assistant and comic books. now he prefers the above new bookstore and "doesn't like to visit the book building." The number of books is large and the quality is uneven. Although there are few books in the characteristic bookstore, the quality is guaranteed. "

In the Beijing Wansheng Book Garden store. Photo taken by Shangguan Yun

"I also like to go to Sanlian Bookstore. I'll go after ten o'clock on Friday evening for an hour or two. Then go to the cafe above and have a drink and read a book. " Liu Zheng explained.

"I prefer to buy e-books. When waiting for someone, they often choose a bookstore to go in and take a stroll, instead of buying the products they put in. " Wang Hua (a pseudonym), who is in his twenties, said that he didn't really care about the characteristics of the bookstore and was just interested in books.

Zhang Li (a pseudonym), 30, likes the current specialty bookstore very much, but he seldom comes here specially. "there are seats, drinks, and relatively quiet here, and it is convenient to find a few books to read." If you can catch up with the activities, you can gain some knowledge, but there are fewer old-fashioned bookstores and book buildings. "

Since the response is good, will such characteristic bookstores "blossom everywhere" in the future? Of course, some industry insiders stressed that under the pressure of the Internet, the book industry is eager to transform, but can not sell what novel, "always be book-oriented."

Perhaps, bookstores with coffee and salons already look a bit like experiential bookstores, but whether it is the best development model or not, only time can give the final answer.